greg775

Hey Harry, what's up with the Crusaders? Are we just young and will be great next season? Has the transfer from Aurora who is committed to LSU played all season? I've watched some games and it seemed the guys were out of it vs. St. Laurence. No tackling on that long TD run in the second half. Also seems like the coach at least that night had no confidence in QB, handing it off to our stud running back almost every down when I was watching. Will Rice make the state playoffs? I think we are 4-3.

Man, the Cardinal got swept. Kind of a shock.

If they are de-juiced now, baseball is so dysfunctional. Why not finish what you started. If they are juiced and baseball is all about homers and strikeouts in 2019, at least keep it that way all season for gosh sakes.

How can the Twins get beat by the Yankees so regularly? Minnie had a great regular season.

You could have stopped there. Jerry has been a horrific owner, no doubt about it. I'm personally grateful for the one WS. Not to be an ingrate, but in 38 years in a city as big as Chicago, you would expect at least one WS title. As a matter of fact, without that WS appearance Reinsdorf would be considered one of the worst baseball owners in history. He got it however and that's a shining star on his baseball resume. Still five playoffs in 38 years? Cmon that is wretched. Also I know The Cell is OK and has been OK, but it's not as if Jerry has us playing in a palace like Old Comiskey. I know the Sox needed modern locker rooms and training facilities and needed a new stadium, but frankly Jerry's ownership group kind of got us a stadium that rates a 'blah' on the blah-wow specrtum. Old Comiskey was a WOW when it was full. In short, Jerry's has been an awful ownership group. Fans have been very good to him. Our crowds in the Cell have been pretty darn good year to year considering the product. I wish he'd sell now.

It really is terrible driving on 2 lane highways. I know it's little consolation but everytime we drive we should feel thankful we're not killed. Last year in Dallas I was driving about 65 at night and there was a car stopped in the middle of the highway. Luckily I wasn't looking at my phone or daydreaming. I cut the wheel left hard and hoped I wouldn't flip the car, missed the car somehow, kept the car going straight. We should all be dead and it can happen out of nowhere. Lots of crap can happen on 2 lane highways so I'd just be thankful you are safe. One crash and life changes in an instant.

Stoney tweeted this today ... 2019 was a repeat of the Steroid Era and slugball. The ball is too lively. Hr’s and strikeouts and walks in abundance isn’t good for the game. Baseball will dial the ball back. Manufacturing runs will once again be part of our game. Stolen bases and hit and runs will be back == I'm not so sure Stoney is right.

The crazy thing is Hahn and Kenny must have a plan and they are just waiting for the WS to end to strike. I mean they know what's our there. They know the money they have to spend and they ought to get a few things done as soon as they can. JD and Cole seem silly to wait on and unattainable to me. JD is staying in Boston and Cole in Houston. Why would Houston let him go? I bet you the Sox temper expectations all winter and at Soxfest. They aren't used to fans thinking they have a shot at making the playoffs and until they become a .500 team they probably would be best to shut up about playoffs. Or a lot of people will be fired if the Sox suck again. Yes there are ways to see the team being good next year; the team also could suck.

It's safe to say we need a few veterans both in our lineup and on our pitching staff if we hope to win it all anytime soon. Of course if the tank/rebuild takes long enough, Timmy and Moncada could be those veterans.

Howie Kendrick, LOL! Greg looking pretty good with his outdated theories. Veterans, in his case 36 years old, can help in a playoff situation. 36 years old and Howie baby hits a grand slam, biggest hit (or in top 3) in franchise history. What are Howie's advanced stats like, folks? At 36. He had great traditional stats, only a 2.6 WAR. Maybe that's gonna be Jose at 36 blasting a homer like that.

I'll shut up after this as I tend to obsess on certain topics, but it confuses me why a guy on a good team who makes very very good money, more than he'll ever need, would opt out of 61 million dollars to go play for some other team that 'may' offer him way more, may not. Baseball has had some weird offseasons in terms of paying players (Moose comes to mind) and I don't know why a guy guaranteed that much loot would enter free agency when he's already on a great team in a great baseball city. Oh well, I'll shut up now on this topic.

Thanks Ron. I am passionate once in a while and I've been passionate about Avi, mainly because again of the thrills he gave me that incredible season he had with the Sox. He's always passed my eye test and his stats have been fine. Yeah he's sort of a clod defensively, but he's not exactly an embarrassment on defense either. He was 4 for 5 in a huge playoff game. I hope he keeps it up. Sometimes veterans are what you want in the postseason. Bats cleanup tonight, goes 4 for 5. Rays tie the series. Oh I wish Avi could somehow be the hero of Game 5. Odds are huge Astros will pound the Rays into submission however.

Anybody know why he'd opt out of a 3 year 61 million dollar deal? With a good team? I don't care what his stats are and you all suggest they are great ... Somebody will give him 3 years 75 mill or something? Kind of strange to me that Boras would have him opt out. He's that good that 3 years 61 mill doesn't excite JD anymore? Just askin'

Thanks Ron. I do love me some Avi Garcia. I'd be so happy if they brought him back. If I lived in Chicago I'd buy season tickets for he and Jose anchoring the young lineup and I'm serious. We could get Avi for 2 years 12 million total probably. JD Martinez is gonna cost so much it'll make our heads spin (caveat: I do not care bout Jerry's wallet shrinking a bit, still bang for the buck Avi might give u that and spend the $$ on pitching, pitching, pitching). p.s: Avi is cleanup hitter on a playoff team tonight for an organization that likes advanced stats, hmmmm....

Not trying to be a dick, but this is interesting. At age 32, with normal stats like JD has (very similar to Jose's) ... I thought guys didn't have a slight chance of getting a contract better than 3 years 61 million. Why the heck would he opt out of that?? Makes very little sense. That's a lot of money and with baseball age-ism as it is, shouldn't Boras tell him to be happy with his current deal? And I would think this very unpopular with Sox fans. 3.3 WAR is great in greg's world but aren't the advanced statters concerned that he could stop hitting at any point because of his age and his WAR figures to go down not up? Just asking.

Have we signed many Boras guys? In 2004 Kenny Williams said in the Trib: "I do not expect to sign any Scott Boras clients. Let's just say that we both respectfully agree to disagree on the value of his players." I like the idea of Martinez but I have to laugh at the similarities to Abreu. He's 32. Had a 3.3 WAR a bit higher than Jose. He hit 36 HRs and 105 RBI with a BA of .304, about 25 points higher than Jose. Good old fashioned stats; advanced stats shouldn't have the advanced stat people doing cartwheels at 32. I'll sign him though. He fits the greg profile. PRODUCTION in terms of HRs and RBIs is nice. Funny ... prove me wrong but I have a feeling folks won't be mentioning his age at all while continuing to mention Jose's. Why? JD is the sexy unknown acquisition; Jose old news of some of the advanced statters.

Truthfully? I expect the richest team in the division to use this to get back to 2005 status and this time sustain it. This better not be a KC Royals thing, two or three years of excellence then nothing again. Especially when a team like Minnesota shows time and again how a playoff appearance can in reality mean NOTHING if you are 0-3 or lose the wildcard game. Look ... I was against a rebuild. I think another way to win is to contend every year like a big city team in a crap division should, and compete every single year or 8 of 10 years in a decade. If Jerry can't spend with the big boys in keeping these star players ... please SELL! The Royals deserve credit for not blowing it in the postseason like the Twins, but let's say the Royals were flops and got swept in the postseason during their years of excellence. That's a huge failure when you after 3-4 years are back to losing 90 to 100 games every year.

We better be title contenders for more than one year. If not, Jerry needs to sell the damn team to somebody with money and a clue. Right now, our manager and his staff and arguably our front office look like laughinstocks if we only contend one year.

Girardi or Maddon.

I just ignored you, Tony, so if you want to read my posts you can. Or you can ignore me back. You and southsider don't get me so this is best before I get banned, Adios, have a nice winter in the bitter wind of Chitown and GO SOX!

Good points,. I just get mad because nobody acknowledges the fact you don't need a star at every position and they never gave him credit for that monster year he had for the Sox what, two seasons ago?

He just hit a home run bomb to help Tampa Bay win the wild card game with a payroll of what, the lowest in baseball? Why not praise the guy instead of partake in a battle with greg? If some of you folks can't see the value in having a veteran player on the roster I can't win that argument. Intangibles matter in sports and the Sox would do well to have both Avi and Abreu to anchor the young guns. It's not all about advanced stats. Even though the Rays also love them, they just beat Billyball again. GO RAYS. GO AVI. Why not sign Avi? At least I give actual reasons on how cheap he'd be. Spend Jerry's money on pitching baby, pitching! In answer to your question ... the going rate for Avi for some reason, his defense I guess, is only 5 or 6 million a year, not 12 million. I guess baseball considers him average at best. I happen to like him!

I get ripped on here so much for my "eye tests" loving certain players. I love this guy and here I feel like praising him is almost getting me banned or called a troll. Folks ... Avi is a pretty nice guy for the Rays' batting sixth in the order. He ain't a bad No. 6 hitter who makes PENNIES. Tell me more about how much of a baseball clown fan I am. Congrats Avi baby; hope u guys did the champaigne thing in the locker room tonight! p.s. looks like he hit it in the shadows, too. Guys, it's not all about stats. Leadership/veterans. You need a mix on teams, folks. Trust me.

I'd definitely want Maddon. We NEED a veteran manager who knows how to win. And who is a good judge of talent.

He'd be an idiot to give up this gig. Baseball tends to keep its announcers in one town for a while. Bennetti probably has that job for 20-40 years if he wants to keep it and he can continue to do ESPN in winter and parts of the fall. He'd be a dummy to leave. Plus the Sox gig probably pays 250,000 or more I'd think. How can you give up that kind of security?